Tumble (Dogwood Lane #1)(52)

“Hang on,” I tell Grace. A rumble sneaks up behind me. An engine revs, making me dash off the asphalt and onto the grass. “Why don’t you . . .” I turn to see Dane’s truck pulling up beside me. “Hey.”

He stops. Arm resting on the window, hat on backward, he grins. “What are you up to?”

“Just walking. Needed some activity and fresh air today.”

“Could’ve come to the jobsite. I’d have hired you in place of Penn.”

“I’m not good with a hammer.”

“I could teach you.” He plucks the truck into park. “Want to grab some dinner?”

“Can you hang on one second?” I hold up a finger and lift the phone to my ear. “Hey, Grace. I’m gonna call you back later, okay?”

“I love his voice. In my mind, he’s wearing red-and-black flannel with a big wad of chew in his bottom lip. That’s so gross—I hate spit. But it’s also hot in a weird southern-boy kind of way.”

Laughing, I look at Dane. He’s looking at his own phone.

“Well, it’s too hot for flannel and tobacco causes cancer. Your vision is all wrong.”

“Wanna paint me a picture?”

“No,” I say. “I’ll call you tonight.”

“Fine. Bye.”

“Bye.” Shoving the phone in my pocket, I walk up to the truck. He puts his phone on the console.

“So, dinner?” he asks again.

My stomach flutters. There’s nothing I want more than to hop in his truck and drive back roads with him until the sun sets. But then I think of the interview today, and I know it’s not a good idea. For any of us.

“How’d Mia take seeing us kiss yesterday?” Saying the words out loud causes my thighs to clench. “Was she okay with it?”

Dane laughs. “Oh, she was okay with it. She’s told everyone she knows and now thinks we’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Really? That’s adorable.”

“I’ve tried to explain that it was a friendship kiss, but she didn’t buy it.”

“A friendship kiss, huh?” I grin. “Well, I’m glad we’ve cleared that up.”

He reaches out of the truck and almost touches me but stops a few inches short. “How did you classify it?”

“Total friendship kiss. That’s exactly what it felt like.”

Dane shakes his head. “I didn’t say that’s what it felt like.”

We laugh together. I grip the doorframe as we exchange a heated look.

“Come on. Have dinner with me,” he says. “Or go for a ride. Whatever you want to do.”

“I don’t want to confuse Mia any more, Dane. She’s so sweet, and I don’t want her to think I’m another woman coming in and leaving.”

A slow, infectious smile slides across his face. “Well, Mia isn’t here, is she?”

There’s nothing about that I can say no to.



“I haven’t been here for years.” Climbing out of Dane’s pickup, I breathe in the water-infused air.

Dogwood Lake sits right below us. From our vantage point on the bluff, we can see the changes in blues as the depths vary. A few boats remain as the sun begins to set against the prettiest backdrop of tall pines and rippling water. Purples and pinks streak across the sky as a farewell to the day.

“I bring Mia up here sometimes,” Dane says. He joins me at the front of the truck. “She likes to bring a little portable grill and have picnics. It’s fun.”

“It sounds fun.”

“Are you going to miss this when you leave?” He doesn’t look at me when he says it. His gaze remains focused on the lake in front of us. There’s something about the way he asks the question that makes me think it’s less about if I’ll miss things and more about whether I am really leaving.

I take a couple of steps ahead of him so he can’t see my face. “Yes. I’ll miss this.” I force a swallow. “I had an interview today.” When he doesn’t respond after a few seconds, I look over my shoulder.

He’s standing still, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his face sober. It makes my heart twist.

“How’d it go?” he asks carefully.

“Good, I think. It’s a few notches down the totem pole from where I was, but there’s a lot of room to move and grow there.”

“Can I ask why you’re looking for a new job?”

I blow out a hasty breath. “To keep it simple, I was passed over for a promotion that was mine. I hate when people say that, but it really was. My bosses created a whole new department based on my idea, and they didn’t give me an opportunity to get in there and see it come to fruition. So I quit.”

He gauges my reaction before reacting himself. Finally, he chuckles. “I’m not surprised.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because. Look at you. You’re . . .” His voice trails off and is replaced with a laugh. “You’re a woman who knows what she wants, and you go get it. You’re strong, Neely. You’re smart. You trust your gut and don’t let anything get you off track. Hell, you were leaving Dogwood Lane before I slept with Katie. Before you hated me. I respected the hell out of that then, and I respect the hell out of you now for this.”